Longwood Lodge Care Home

Updated 17 November 2022

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by an inspector, a medicines inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Longwood Lodge is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under 1 contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Longwood Lodge is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations. At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

The inspection was unannounced.

Inspection activity was carried out between 14 October and 4 November 2022. Further inspection activity was completed via telephone and by email, including speaking with people who used the service and their relatives and reviewing additional evidence and information sent to us by the provider.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from professionals who worked with the service, including Oldham local authority. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 6 people who used the service and 4 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We also spoke with 5 members of staff including 3 care staff, the registered manager and the provider.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 5 people’s care records, a selection of medicine administration records (MAR) and 4 staff recruitment files. A variety of other records relating to the management of the service were also considered as part of the inspection.

Updated 17 November 2022

About the service

Longwood Lodge is a care home located in Oldham and can accommodate up to 40 older people. The home is operated by Longwood Lodge Care Limited. At the time of this inspection, there were 37 people living at the home.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Some improvements were required to ensure medicines were given safely. During the inspection, we identified concerns regarding medicines given with food, PRN (when required) plans, stock levels and the storage of some medicines. Records regarding topical creams and drink thickeners also needed to be improved. Audits were carried out to check medicines were managed safely, however they did not provide a focus on the areas of concern identified during the inspection.

People said they felt safe living at the home as a result of the care they received. Staff were recruited safely, and staffing levels were sufficient. Appropriate infection control procedures were in place and relevant safety checks of the building and equipment were carried out.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

There were systems in place to seek feedback from staff, relatives and people living at the home, through meetings and satisfaction surveys. The home also had good links within the local community and worked in partnership with a number of different organisations.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This last rating for the service was good (Published July 2018).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from good to requires improvement based on the findings of this inspection.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements with regards medication and governance of the service. Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Longwood Lodge on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

The overall rating for the service is requires improvement. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

Enforcement

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.

We have identified breaches in relation to medication and governance at this inspection. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.